DALLAS (AP) — The head of the company building the Dakota Access oil pipeline says the company won't consider rerouting it to address American Indian concerns.
The $3.8 billion pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to Illinois is largely complete except for a stretch under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux fears a leak could contaminate drinking water on its nearby reservation.
President Barack Obama has raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline. Kelcy Warren, the CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, told The Associated Press on Friday that the company won't change the route.
The Army Corps of Engineers has delayed approving the river crossing, calling for more tribal input. ETP has asked a federal judge to declare that it has the right to drill under the river.
